Fantasy Hockey

As a senior hockey writer for RotoWire, I had been eager to start penning post-game wrap notes for the preseason finale between the Golden Knights and Sharks. While it’s often said that exhibition games are meaningless, I was smitten by the idea of an expansion team breaking ground in my happy place. At this point, sports gambling and its associated controversies were largely confined to Vegas, so I had a profound interest in knowing how that would all shake out. Plus, my childhood adoration for the film series “The Mighty Ducks” — which has deeply rooted ties to Anaheim’s NHL franchise — has fostered a personal affinity for expansion teams.

Hero to goat. Marc-Andre Fleury used to be a Conn Smythe shoe-in. Now, he’s the reason the Knights are one loss from their season ending. Crazy. He’s still the one and only reason Vegas is playing in the Final.

Are the Caps screwed if Evgeny Kuznetsov’s wrist is as broken as it looks? Let me rephrase that — HOW SCREWED are the Caps if that wing is busted?

Holy Holtby. Marc-Andre Fleury will win the Conn Smythe, win or lose, but Wednesday’s MVP was big bad Braden. That sprawling paddle save late in the third on that five-on-three PK was SportsCenter worthy.

Braden Holtby saved his best for last. Game 6 was his first shutout of 2017-18. Game 7 was his second. 159:27 minutes of domination.

Alexander Ovechkin’s game has gone to another place, courtesy of a whole new level of maturity. That snipe 62 seconds in was yet another big point in a big game. And he finally seems to have shed the thought he has to do it all in order for the Caps to win.

Stay calm, folks. Andrei Vasilevskiy started the Boston series the same way. He’ll be fine.

Best line left in the West? Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler? Or Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith? The former scored 28 points in seven games against Nashville. The latter tallied 25 in six against San Jose. Who would have thought that in October?